Pneumatic signaling-valve screen-cleaning device



(No Model.)

J. R. IDE. PNEUMATIC SIGNALING VALVE SCREEN CLEANING DEVICE Np. 562,301. Patented June 16, I896.

ANDREW BGRMIAM PHDTO-LKTHO WASMINGTONJQJIC NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN R. IDE, OF SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA.

PNEUMATIC SIGNALING-VALVE SCREEN-CLEANING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 562,301, dated June 16, 1896.

Application filed March 1'7 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN R. IDE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Salisbury, in the county of Rowan and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Train- Conductors Signaling-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air-escape valves designed to be placed in passenger and baggage cars and communicating by air-pipe connections with an air tank or reservoir arranged on a locomotive-engine and connected with a signaloperating valve for sounding a signal, such as a whistle, when the air-escape valve is opened by the train-conductor, Whereby the conductor can transmit starting, stopping, and other orders or signals to the engineer. In this class of valves the dirt, dust or sand, mingled with the air drawn into the air-tank, is carried -by the air into the air-escape valve, where it lodges on and about the valve-disk, andby accumulating causes the valve to leak, which is very objectionable. It has been proposed to protect the valve in a measure by introducing a screen into the valve-casing, so that the air, before reaching the valve-disk, requires to pass through the screen, for the purpose of removing the dirt, dust, or sand mingled with the air before the latter comes in contact with the valve-disk and valve-seat. The screen, however, is not satisfactory in practical use, in that the meshes or perforations become clogged and render itnecessary to uncouple the air-pipe connection with the valve-casing, for the purpose of cleaning the screen by removing the dirt, dust or sand which clogs up the meshes or perforations thereof.

The objects of my invention are to prevent the screen from becoming clogged with dirt, dust, or sand mingled with the air; to avoid disconnecting the air-pipe from the valve-. casing when it is desired to remove dirt, dust, or sand which may accumulate at a point below the screen; and to provide new and improved means for gaining access tothe valvecasing at one side of the screen to facilitate removing dirt, dust, sand, or other foreign matter which may accumulate in a part of the valve-casing during the continued use of the valve.

The invention consists, essentially, in the Serial No. 583,585. (No model.)

combination with a valve, and a screen through which air must pass in transit to the valve disk and seat, of a device automatically actuated by air passing to the valve and striking the screen to prevent it from clogging with dirt, dust, or sand. I

The invention also consists in the combination with a valve-casing having a valveseat, a spring-seated valve-disk, a device for unseating the valve from the exterior of the valve-casing, and a screenarranged in proximity to the valve-disk and through which the fluid must pass in transit to the valvedisk and valve-seat, of a knocker device operated by the inflowing air to strike the screen and prevent it from clogging with dirt, dust, or sand.

The invention also consists in the combination with a valve-casing having a valveseat, a spring-seated valve-disk, and a device for unseating the valve-disk from the exterior of the valve-casing, of a screen located in a part of the valve-casing I at one side of the valve-disk, a removable plug fitted into the valve-casing for gaining access to the interior of the latter at one side of the screen, and a knocker device operated by the air in transit to the valve-disk and valve for striking the screen and preventing it from clogging with dirt, dust, or sand.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a train-conductors signaling-valve containing my in- Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken onvention. the line2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a detail perspective view of the preferred form of knocker device for striking the screen to prevent it from clogging with dirt, dust, or sand which may be mingled with the air flowing to the signaling-valve and Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view, the plane of section being on the line 5 5, Fig. 1.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein the numeral 1 indicates the valve-casing of a train-conductors signaling-valve. This casing is provided with a screw-threaded shank 2, connected by a union-coupling 3 with one end of an air-pipe 4.

ICO

This air-pipe communicates in practice with an air tank or reservoir, arranged on a locomotive-engine, and the tank connects with a signal-operating valve, for the purpose of sounding a signal, such as a whistle, when the air-escape valve is opened to release the air-pressure in the pipe connections between the signaling-valve and the signal, whereby the train-conductor can transmit orders or signals to the engineer.

The foregoing parts are well known, and therefore I do not deem it necessary to illustrate the air tank or reservoir, nor the signaloperating valve and its signaling-whistle.

The valve-casing 1 is provided with a valveseat 5 and a valve-disk 6, which is closed against the valve-seat through the medium of a suitable spring 7, preferably located in a removable screw-plug 8, and bearing against one end of a guiding-spindle 9 on the Valvedisk. The valve-casing is also constructed with two air-escape passages 10, arranged opposite one another and communicating with the opening in the valve-seat 5, so that when the valve-disk 6 is unseated, the air under pressure will escape from the valve-casing through the air-escape passages.

The valve-disk is constructed with a stem 12, adapted to be operated upon by the head 13 of a rocking lever 14. The head of this leveris provided with two oppositely-arranged hooked arms 15 and 16, which loosely engage cross-pins 17 and 18, mounted in ears 19,which project from one end of the valve-casing. The lever lei is designed to connect with the usual train-cord, so that the train-conductor can operate the lever whenever required for the purpose of unseating the valve-disk and permitting air to escape from the valve-casing, so that the reduction of pressure in the air-pipe connections causes the signal-operating valve to sound the signaling-whistle.

The valve-casing is provided with a screen 20, interposed between the valve-disk and the point where the valve-casing is connected with the air-pipe 4. The screen 20 may be of any suitable construction which will permit screening out dirt, dust, or sand mingled with the air as the latter flows through the screen into the valve-casing.

I prefer to arrange the screen in the inner portion of the screw-threaded shank 2, but do not wish to be understood as confining myself to any particular location of the screen, as it maybe arranged at any point so that the air must pass through the screen before reaching the valve-disk.

As before stated, the dirt, dust, or sand, mingled with the air flowing through the airpipe connection, will sooner or later clog the meshes or perforations of the screen, and thereby prevent the correct operation of the signaling apparatus. Ordinarily the screen can be cleaned by detaching the union-coupling 3 and removing the dirt, dust, or sand from the meshes or perforations in the screen; but this is objectionable, owing to the delay,

inconvenience, and trouble of disconnecting the parts, and also to the difficulty, in some cases, of reaching the signaling-valve, owing to its location in the passenger or baggage car. In dry dusty weather the valve and the screen require to be quite frequently cleaned, and obviously this is troublesome and more or less objectionable. To avoid all the objections stated, I prevent the screen from clogging with dirt, dust, or sand by arranging, in operative connection therewith, a knocker device 23, which is caused to forcibly strike the screen and dislodge dirt, dust, or sand therefrom whenever the signaling-valve is opened to permit the escape of air from the valvecasing.

In the present example of my invention, the knocker device 23 is composed of a plurality of semicircular loops preferably cast in a single piece. This device is located within the screwthreaded shank 2 between the screen 20 and the union coupling 3, and since the device is forcibly driven by air-pressure against the screen whenever the signalingvalve is opened, it will agitate any dirt, dust, or sand lodging 011 the screen, and thereby prevent the meshes or perforations of the screen from becoming clogged. By this means the signaling-valve is rendered more reliable in actual operation and it is unnecessary to detach the union-coupling for the purpose of gaining access to the screen to clean the same.

I provide the screw-threaded shank 2 of the valve-casing with an orifice 21, in which is detachably fitted a plug 22. The orifice 21 is screw-threaded, and the plug 22 is in the form of a thumb-screw which can be readily screwed into and out of the screw-threaded orifice, so that by detaching the screw any dirt, dust, or sand accumulating in the space between the screen and the union-coupling can be readily removed through the medium of a piece of wire or a nail. It is also possible to blow out the dirt, dust, or sand through the opening 21 by simply removing the thumbscrew.

My invention provides novel, simple, efficient, and economical means whereby the screen is prevented from becoming clogged, and the conductor, or any one of the trainmen, can conveniently and quickly remove dirt, dust, or sand that may accumulate in the chamber in which the knocker device is located without the delay and trouble incident to detaching the air-pipe connection from the valve-casing.

The automatic operation of the knocker device, for the purpose of preventing the screen through which the air passes from becoming clogged with dirt, dust, sand, or cinders, is a feature which is believed to be desirable, important, and useful, and, inasmuch as I believe myself to be the first to accomplish the object stated, I do not wish to be understood as confining myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts exhibited in the drawings.

IIO

As regards the knocker device 23 and the screen 20, arranged in relation to the valve 6, I do not confine myself strictly to a train-conductors signaling-valve, as the screen and knocker device can be employed in connection with any other kind of air-controlling valve.

Having thus described my invention, What.

I claim is- 1. The combination with a valve, and a screen through which air must pass in transit to the valve-disk, of a device automatically actuated by the air in passing to the valve striking the screen to prevent it from clogging with dirt, dust, or sand, substantially as described. 7

2. The combination with an air-conducting pipe or tube, and a screen arranged in the path of the air for screening the same from dirt, dust, or sand, of a knocker automatically actuated by the air traversing the pipe or tube and striking the screen to prevent it from clogging, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a valve-casinghaving a valve-seat, a spring-seated valve-disk, a device for unseating the valve from the exterior of the valve-casing, and a screen arone side of the valve-disk, a removable plug 7 fitted into the valve-casing for gaining access to the interior of the latter at one side of the screen, and a knocker device operated by the air in transit to the valve-disk andvalve for striking thescreen and preventing it from clogging with dirt, dust, or sand, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

JOHN R. IDE.

Witnesses:

E. 0. WHEELER, 1. M. HOBAK. 

